What I’ve Been Reading
Virgil Wander, Leif Enger
This is one of my favorite novels of 2021 so far. The writing style is just delightful, it was a joy to meander through. Not heavy on action, it explores the quiet undercurrents of a small Midwestern town. When Virgil Wander is in a car accident and suffers some memory loss, it forces him to look at his town, and its inhabitants, from a new perspective.
He was correct about the language, though. Within weeks certain prodigal words started filtering home. They came one at a time or in shy small groups. I remember when sea-kindly showed up, a sentimental favorite, followed by desiccated and massive. Brusque appeared all by itself, which seemed apt; merry and boisterous arrived together.
I just really enjoyed the narrative style and since this was an impulsive bargain buy at Barnes & Noble I was immensely surprised to have discovered such a treasure.
Sapiens, Yuval Noah Harari
I kept running across this book in various articles, so when I got the chance to get a discount on the Kindle version I decided it was time to find out what everyone was talking about. Having been raised with a Creationist education, I found the first few chapters enlightening as an exposure to the mainstream theories about humanity’s evolution. I’ve always wondered how the various skeletons, such as the Neanderthal, fit into the whole picture. So the explanation of how various human species evolved across the planet, with homo sapiens eventually becoming dominant, was helpful for me. However, the book as a whole was heartily disappointing. It seemed to be highly speculative, and I found myself often wondering what evidence the author had to back up his claims. There seemed to be a dearth of references to any original sources or references to support his statements.
His entire worldview seemed to be at odds with my own philosophy. While I’m usually committed to finishing any books I start, this is one that I allowed myself to quit. I became frustrated when he began arguing that the development of empires was critical for the flourishing of mankind. This, along with some other statements, showed that his preexisting beliefs about the world were very different from my own.
He also provided a very bleak history, and consequently future, for homo sapiens. To be honest, I started feeling depressed as I kept reading about how humanity had apparently been destroying the planet since our earliest days of evolution. It seems to suggest a fundamental flaw in our species, that the world would be better off without us even existing. And I just can’t imagine living with that kind of worldview. It seems unsustainable and incredibly destructive.
However, I now understand how Sapiens became such an influential book. It supports this anti-human mindset that is so popular in our current culture. For that reason I am glad I explored the book, even though I couldn’t bring myself to finish it. But it is not something I would recommend, unless you share my curiosity in understanding the mindset of today’s culture. And even a brief perusal would be sufficient for getting the general sense.
What I’ve Been Watching
Black Widow
Natasha Romanoff is one of my favorite Avengers and I’ve been looking forward to her solo movie for years. While I was skeptical going into it, I actually really enjoyed the movie. I wouldn’t say it was amazing, but I had fairly low expectations and it turned out better than I thought. I appreciated the underlying theme of self-determination and personal choice that drove the plot. Of course there were parts of it that were just over-the-top and too fantastical for me, but that’s to be expected from the Marvel franchise at this point.
I liked how they flipped the script on female empowerment and the pro-choice narrative. Rather than feeling “freed” by the inability to bear children, Natasha is angry that she was forcibly sterilized. This was introduced in an earlier Marvel movie, so not a spoiler, but the Black Widow movie elaborates on it. It seems like modern feminism sometimes pushes women to reject traditional roles, such as being a mother. But the Black Widow movie refocuses the dialogue on what really matters: self-determination. Natasha’s forced sterility is just as oppressive and reprehensible as any other historical subjugation of women.
The Green Knight
Having studied and taught the medieval text of “Sir Gawain and the Green Knight” several times, I was really excited to see this modern adaptation. The aesthetic of the film was absolutely gorgeous, it was a visual delight to watch. However, the storyline was a radical departure from the original story. Rather than being an adaptation, I would say it was loosely inspired by the idea of Sir Gawain and the Green Knight.
The primary departure was in the character arc of Sir Gawain. In the original story, he is already a renowned and praised knight of the Round Table. The story is about how he tries to navigate the complex rules of knighthood and chivalry. He eventually grapples with his own humanity and imperfect attempts to meet the high standards of society. But in the movie, he is neither a knight nor a man of virtue. So one would assume that the story would follow his journey of becoming a virtuous and honorable knight, worthy of the Round Table. I am not sure if that actually happens in the movie. It is one of the movies you have to watch a few times to really “get,” and after my first viewing I am not at all clear about how it ends. Does he prove himself a courageous and honorable knight? Does he learn what is required of being a man of virtue? If that was the intention of the movie, it doesn’t seem at all obvious.
In this way, the movie certainly feels like a postmodern interpretation of Sir Gawain. There is none of the medieval clarity and decisiveness. In the original text, the lesson of the story is plainly given to the reader. It is obvious what it all means. There is moral complexity, but also a sense that the right path of action is possible to find. In the movie, there’s more of a moral ambiguity. Is there a “right” path for Gawain to take? Is it possible to ever know what is right, let alone achieve it? This is what disappointed me most about the movie. Its dreamlike quality leaves a moral foundation of shifting sand which is such a contradiction to the stability and strength of the original text.
